Discharges to Land

• Domestic wastewater;
• Dairy shed effluent;
• Winery wastewater
• Vegetable and shellfish processing wastewater
• Industrial and trade process wastewater

Fortunately, the combination of favourable soil properties and the dry climate in Marlborough make the discharge of liquid wastes to land a viable option. The capacity of the soil resource to treat or absorb contaminants is determined by the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. As Marlborough’s soil resource is diverse, there is variation in treatment capacity across the District.

There are currently a large number of discharges to land in Marlborough and this will only increase in the future given the ongoing regional growth and preference for discharges to land as opposed to water. It seems sensible to utilise the land resource to treat liquid wastes in Marlborough, but it is essential that discharges to land are well managed as they could, in isolation or in combination, give rise to adverse effects of similar magnitude or greater than those caused by discharges to water.

Discharges are controlled under the PMEP either with permitted activity standards or by consent requirements set by the capabilities of the soil that wastes are discharged to. The differing soil capabilities have been categorised as free-draining, impeded and loess erosion prone. Each of these categories has differing vulnerabilities when wastewater is applied. Outside these zones, permitted activity standards apply.

Go to the resource consents smart map

Council can provide guidance on discharges if needed. For domestic discharges, contact the duty Planner service. For industrial, winery or agricultural discharges contact the Land Resources scientist.

Go to more information on the land publications and reports page

Winery Wastewater Discharge

There has been a rapid expansion in the viticulture industry over the last decade. An inevitable consequence of this increase in production has been the increasing amounts of a range of waste products. One such waste is winery wastewater, recognised as containing a number of components (i.e. salts, nutrients, organic load) that have the potential to negatively affect soil, plant and aquatic health if not disposed of in an appropriate manner.

There are currently 42 wineries in Marlborough that are applying winery wastewater to land. Land application of winery wastes is the most cost-effective form of disposal, however it does raise concern over potential impacts on soil and crop health, and off-site environmental pollution associated with nutrient leaching and run-off.